June 25, 2003

The TV industry is beginning to talk about the prime-time Emmy nominations, possibly because there's not much else to talk about during these quiet network days of late June.

The deadline for entries, which included programming from June 1, 2002, to May 31, 2003, was Friday.

Nominations will be announced July 17 with Fox airing the 54th annual awards show on Sept 21.

Like many viewers, I annually debate over nominations and winners. And I have trouble digesting the categories when it comes to differentiating between lead and supporting roles in drama and comedy series.

Categories have become more confusing because of a growing crossover between drama and comedy.

Example: Tony Shalhoub, who took home a Golden Globes statue in January for his comedy work on Monk, is poised for an Emmy nomination as a lead actor in a comedy series.

While Monk is lighthearted and Shalhoub deserves honors for his performance, Monk isn't a comedy.

The whole Emmy process is as confusing as a federal income tax form at 11 p.m. on April 14.

Still, this year's Emmy nominations might be of more interest because some of the usual suspects of the past three years might not be rounded up.